Hands-on with the HTC Advantage

So we happened to get our hands on an HTC Advantage last week, and damn is this thing ready to rumble. The keyboard (which we just weren't that fond of) snaps into place from a good inch away, and feels more like an industrial magnet than something you'd find on a consumer device. The VGA screen is fantastically large and bright, and played back full-res video without a hiccup. It even has an idle mode with a couple mini-widgets and an email ticker when the keyboard is magnetically latched onto the body to protect the screen (that VueFLO nav, we think). Check out the gallery to get a better sense of what you're in for, but be warned: this is a machine by and for handheld computing enthusiasts and cellphone nerds. So even though HTC wants you to replace your laptop with an Advantage for short trips, it's still a beast of a connected PDA at heart.

Gallery: Hands-on with the HTC Advantage

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[geezer @ Mar 22nd 2007 6:19PM]

funny - it just looks like the good old eMate 300.

[Kev50027 @ Mar 22nd 2007 7:23PM]

Lucky b&$74R0$

[bluemonq @ Mar 22nd 2007 7:24PM]

Auto-activating email-ticker/clock: great idea, but looks kinda kludgy. Maybe they should have made the screen frame a little recessed in the upper portion so it fits better?

[dcny @ Mar 23rd 2007 11:25AM]

Damn thats ugly. every other uppc/pda/media player (even the zune) looks better; they could have had a better design

[Ted @ Mar 26th 2007 11:21AM]

Sooooo....

Is this a cell phone or is it a PDA?

[Danbo1984 @ Mar 26th 2007 11:35AM]

I saw someone on the Tube in London with one of these (or whatever the UK-branded equivalent is: is it through T-Mobile?) last week. Apart from the fact that the chap very obviously wanted everyone to notice his shiny toy (this is the Tube;
no-one gave a toss), it looked very cool indeed; lovely display and the size looks about right to me: big enough to use as "mini-laptop", small enough to use as PDA. Might look into getting one of these...

[Mrmean @ Mar 26th 2007 12:18PM]

is this from 1985?

[Jeremy K. @ Mar 26th 2007 12:22PM]

I don't really see a major desire factor on this device.

[Juan @ Mar 26th 2007 1:00PM]

What's up with the "Read" link?

[Shunnabunich @ Mar 26th 2007 1:44PM]

So, um...why exactly was this reposted? Are we supposed to be reminded of something?

[wslcrew @ Mar 26th 2007 2:49PM]

Three HTC posts in a row? WTF?

[remedy @ Mar 26th 2007 3:00PM]

Isn't this device the same size as an OQO Model 02? I wish engadget would compare the two models. Because if the Model 02 is the same as this product, then HTC has no Advantage with this. (no pun intended)

[nomadicalloy @ Mar 26th 2007 4:05PM]

What about srpint?

[Matt @ Mar 27th 2007 12:30AM]

It looks great. I'm still having a hard time getting a clear idea on how big that thing is. I understand it has a 5" screen. Is it pocketable?

Some side by side shots with some known gadgets would be great! Could you add some to the gallery?

[Z @ Mar 27th 2007 9:20PM]

I would've been interested in this phone, but that's a completely stupid keyboard design. Whoever thought up the idea of implementing a keyboard in this way should be flogged or fired.

This thing should have a slider keyboard. Every time they show this phone with its keyboard, it's always sitting on a desk. And how impractical is that? Who's always going to have access to a desk or flat surface every time they need to type, and who would want to have to search for a flat surface every time they need to type? First of all, the keyboard's too small to touch type on, and it's attached to the unit in such an awkward way that you can't hold it and thumb type on it, either.

Worthless keyboard. Try this design again, HTC, and next time, get the keyboard right.

NEXT!

[Z @ Mar 27th 2007 9:40PM]

One other thing, I'd take a Sony Vaio UX series ANYDAY over this HTC - if only Sony would make the UX GSM-cellular capable so a person could use it to make voice calls, and then add Ss-III GPS, it would have everything. The UX costs more, but with 32GB of SSD storage, 1GB of RAM, a 5" SVGA screen, a slider keyboard, biometric FR, dual cameras, WiFi b/g, BT 2.0 EDR, and Windows Vista, so far, it kicks this HTC's ass.